August2016

August 19 Istachatta 8/1-8/19 = Hot. Just in the last couple of days I've noticed a slight shift in the weather, one that's hard to define. It isn't any cooler. Maybe raining a little less. Perhaps that's it. We're coming to the end of the rainy season. But it's starting to feel like late summer. We're over the hump.

August 23 Istachatta Banana spiders are beginning to disappear, and that seems much earlier than last year. Or perhaps something is eating them, but two or three big webs around the house are suddenly gone. Still hot, but feeling more like late summer. Diguaye has done very well this year.

August 27, Taidong There was a similar 'over the hump' feeling here about 10 days ago, but seems there is now another hump. Bloody hot the last week and still very high humidity, in the 70-80 range. September usually brings some relief, though last year the summer kept rolling on through to November, so hope we don't get that again. Continuing pattern of very few rain events - we are getting close to average rainfall for July and Aug but most of the rain is coming in one or two days - the rest is crushing, merciless heat. Have had a series of 'little helpers' during summer - a couple were very good but the rest just wilted and had to leave. In Taiwan, they call young people the 'Strawberry Generation', supposedly coz they spoil easily, and i would have to say that's pretty accurate. However, it did give me a great marketing idea - grow organic strawberries and have them picked by real Strawberries! A few weeks ago an as yet unidentified wild animal attacked the chickens. Only guessing but i think it's different from the mongoose that goes for the eggs. This one seems more interested in attacking the chickens and attacks in the middle of the night whereas the mongoose invariably comes at dawn or dusk. Also seems to be much smarter coz i haven't been able to catch it thus far, though it has set off the trap a couple of times. A few years ago i did see one in a tree hunting the chickens - looked more like a civet - the mongoose can't climb trees - i assume this is the same thing. Not much in the way of typhoons and virtually nothing forming in the usual zone to the south east of Taiwan. The few that have formed (only one, Lionrock, has made it full typhoon strength), seem to spring up well north of there - presume that's a sign of warmer seas.
I see that this time last year and the year before there was a coldfront that formed stretching up From south of Taiwan to Japan and i was even wearing jeans in the evening! The idea of wearing jeans still seems totally ludicrous at this stage, however. but at least there is hope that some relief might be around the corner.

August 28 Istachatta Banana spiders are almost completely gone now, just like that. The die off started about ten days ago I think. Next week will be the first week all summer for which we have predicted highs not reaching 90F (32C) with highs of 88 predicted by Tuesday. Still hot, but seasonal change is in the air.

Aug 30, Taidong: The cool change did come on the evening of Aug 28 and exactly the same scenario as previous years with a stationary low forming off the south coast - aka Dan's Low and forming a coldfront up to another low in the north (this time typhoon lionrock). Still not long pants weather but much cooler and pyschologically a sense, finally, that summer is relenting. Moderate rain here with its arrival but just cloudy since then. Barring anything unexpected, we will only get about half the ave for Aug this year. Lionrock is petering out as it moves north-west though while it was stalled due east of Taiwan for several days it was sending in some beautiful clean sets and have re-discovered body surfing over the past week. Would love to do more but unfortunately the best time to go swimming, late afternoon, is also the best/only time to do the other 100 things on the property that need doing.